ESTABLISHED DRESSAGE COACH

Douglas Hibbert is a long established dressage coach with 30 years experience of teaching, training and riding to Grand Prix level. He has been a British Dressage listed judge for over 20 years. Douglas has a very loyal following of pupils from Pony Club to FEI 4 Star Eventing, from Preliminary to Grand Prix.

After living and working in the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire area all his life, a move in late Summer of 2016 has taken him to the edge of the New Forest. He is now available to teach in Hampshire and also the bordering counties of Dorset and Wiltshire, in addition to his regular clinics which are held in Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

People ride for different reasons and with that understanding Douglas sets realistic and achievable goals for rider and horse so that results accomplished in lessons can be re-created at home and in competition. He is a firm believer that any horse and rider combination can be improved. If you want to learn, Douglas wants to teach you.

TESTIMONIALS

As an amateur event rider I never dreamed that Splat and I would be competitive at Medium level. His patience and determination stuck with us all winter long and now we can do clean changes on the aid. Splat and I have been winning consistently and we qualified for the regionals and competed at the Winter Championships. Splat is working confidently at Advanced Medium and is showing much promise for pirouettes and piaffe. Clearly Douglas deserves a medal!Rebecca Slough and Splat

There are not enough words to say how amazing Douglas is, when I first met him I was terrified of my cob, Bill, and was thinking of selling him. Through the help and support we have received I have found my perfect partner in Bill and have achieved my dream of riding at PSG and have now had to set new goals for ourselves. None of this would have been possible without the great training methods he has showed us that have given me the confidence to say ‘I can’. Onwards and upwards to the next dream.Victoria Stratton and Bill

I am very lucky to ride an amazing pony called Oliver. Oliver can be quite tricky to ride but Douglas is always able to help me get the best out of him (I qualified for the Pony Club Championships in dressage this year). Douglas is really friendly, explains things clearly and doesn't mind me asking questions. He is my favourite instructor and I just love having lessons with him.Lucy Clark and Oliver, OBH Chilterns Pony Club member​​

I have trained with Douglas now for the past four years.. Douglas has the most incredible way when teaching, his eye for absolute perfection is phenomenal, his ability to push me outside my comfort zone so I constantly improve as a rider is genius. He has the most amazing empathy with the horses. Without him I would never have achieved a quarter of what I have. He is simply amazing but this quote for me sums Douglas up the best "A coach is someone who makes you do what you don't want to, so you can be who you've always wanted to be. There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory."​Emma Roche and Escamillo

Photograph by kind permission of Out and About Dressage

Gamble and I started training with Douglas in the Autumn of 2014 after I had been told by a dressage instructor to sell him as we’d never do well in dressage. I’d completely lost my confidence when I bought Gamble, he isn’t a warmblood or a posh dressage horse, he’s from Ireland with no details of breeding in his passport, he originally came from a riding school and didn’t have any forward thinking at all, but he felt safe. Over the last year and a half with Douglas’ patience and knowledge, Gamble and I have gained confidence and trust in one another. Whenever Gamble has decided he can’t (or won’!) do something, Douglas has found a way to work with us both so that Gamble not only can, but wants to do the work without arguing. With Douglas’ encouragement and support, we have won our first dressage competition and we have been placed every time out this year, our marks have improved from very low 60’s in our pre-Douglas days to now getting marks in the high 60’s and no comments about lack of forwardness and we often get told we have a lovely harmonious relationship. ​Jacqui Drew and Gamble